Morning Star
by Harley Harlequinade
Summary: AU Breaking Dawn ending. What if the battle with the Volturi did not go as smoothly? Jacob and Edward take turns telling their sides of what happened after a disaster that leaves their families disbanded and destroyed.
1. Preface

Morning Star: #1 - Preface

By: Kimberly A. Iwanski/Harley Harlequinade (.com)

A Twilight Fanfiction

JACOB

I'm not a storyteller.

So, before I even begin this, don't expect any flowery language or detailed descriptions or anything. I'm not going to pay attention to rhythm or diphthongs or meter or whatever the hell else writers pay attention to. I'm just getting this all out of my system before it eats at me too much, turning me hollow.

Now that I can look back on the event that changed my life, I know what went wrong. We trusted her too much. We put too much faith into her power. We were not as prepared as we had thought. After all, there was a reason the Volturi had stayed in power for so long. On top of that, I was a dumb kid. I was too sure of myself, and we thought we had an edge over the Volturi because we had love on our side. _Love_. It was more like we were all under a spell.

My next warning is this: If you're expecting a happy story, you're going to be disappointed. Since I'm not a real writer I don't have to worry about foreshadowing or exposition and I'll spoil something for you. There were deaths. I won't say how many or who just yet, so prepare yourself. And no, this isn't the kind of story where people come back from the dead. But don't worry, it's not a tragic story either. If all us survivors spent the rest of our lives wallowing around in our sorrow, I'd obviously have nothing to tell right now. Some of us recover. Some cope with what we have left. No one forgets. That's just how it goes.

Truth be told, this is a love story. Don't ask why.

Just turn your attention away from your ordinary lives for once and I'll show you.


	2. Dawn

Morning Star: #2 – Dawn

By: Kimberly A. Iwanski/Harley Harlequinade (.com)

A Twilight Fanfiction

EDWARD

The night before the disaster, I refused to take my hands or eyes off of Bella. I had not even grown close to accustomed to her new form. Her flawless beauty stunned me, though I doubt any amount of time would have changed that. As I stared at her, my imagination ran wild. A billion thoughts raced through my head that one night, each more painful than the last. I did everything I could not to show these feelings to her, as if she needed my worries on top of her own.

Our arms were wrapped around each other. My eyes did not leave hers. I kept track of her voluntary breaths and counted each of her dark eyelashes individually. And if I were to spend the rest of eternity this way, I would be content. I did not venture to imagine I could lose this the next day. And if I did, what would I tell her at that moment that would give our time together any real sense of completion? "Goodbye"'s and "I love you"'s were just words; instead, I passed on my feelings for her through my unrelenting stare.

Through the night, she seemed possessed with her adoration for me, forgetting everything but her emotions as I read her various expressions. Maybe it was her way of escaping, not that she planned to distract herself from what lay ahead. Our silent exchange hardly distracted me though. It only brought to attention what exactly I had at stake in confronting the Volturi. I was risking Bella's love, her quirks, her kisses and touch, and possibly her soul as well. I did what I could to make her happy; I could tell she was less confident than I was about tomorrow. Maybe I had been at fault for that: putting too much confidence in her abilities.

Then again, she had gone from completely breakable to utterly indestructible and in-control in a mere three days. Something like that, as Jasper said, should never have happened. It was unnatural. My Bella... I feel the ghost of what would be a laugh stir in my throat as I remember all the ways she deviated from being ordinary. What kind of husband would I have been to expect anything less than extraordinary from her?

The uncertainty of the next day hung in the air of the room, suffocating us both.

Bella and I used the sound of our daughter's breath and heartbeat as motivation to awaken from the trance we were in and go outside to stand watch. It was still pitch black outside, isolated from civilization. Of course, it wasn't any obstacle for my vision to overcome the darkness. It seemed I was all too well suited for a life in the dark. There was a tent nearby, the one we spent the night in, that now housed Renesmee and Jacob; where we could listen to them as they slept. Her heartbeat fluttered softly: unaware and innocent. His heart beat strongly, as if to prove his determination to protect her. His snoring threw off its dramatic effect though.

Gripping Bella's hand and staring at the horizon with her, I pondered what the future would hold for these future lovers. I imagined the best possible scenario first: Renesmee's aging slowing down by and by to an eventual stop, or at least tapering off to an average human rate. Marrying Jacob, who would be the best possible protector for her. Making our family whole. Outstanding both her parents with her increasing beauty every day...

I estimated it would be about an hour before the sun rose.

Various possible outcomes continued to flit around my mind. If she still aged at this rate, she still would be loved, given too much love even, up until her final day. She would still be cared for and treasured. If something were to happen to Jacob down the road, she would still have myself and Bella, as well as our whole family and the wolf pack to care for her. But...

But if something were to happen today, what possibilities were there for her safety? What if something happened to me or Bella? Could we trust her with Jacob? That still sounded too risky, even though it was probably the best option. And if the Volturi laid hands on her...

I stopped myself from thinking about this further. Instead I focused my attention on the tent, reading the segments of dream material that passed through their heads. It was mostly nonsense – safe to watch, I thought. Jacob's was a rather relaxing dream about hunting elk; he must have had food on the brain. When the forest he was in became shrouded in dark clouds and anxiety tainted the vision, I quickly shifted to Renesmee's mind to avoid any more negative energy. Bella's face starred in her dreams at the moment, flashes of color falling around her like a downpour of spinning flower petals. The way she remembered her mother, it looked as if she were sparkling. The face smiled gently, wrapping the dream in warmth. In spite of everything, I smiled back.

"What is it?" the real-life Bella asked me in her ringing voice.

"Renesmee," I whispered back, the corners of my lips remaining turned up, "She's dreaming about you."

Our fingers still laced together, I felt the tip of her thumb stroke the length of mine. An unconscious action.

"Oh!" This was not a response, as her attention was to the horizon. Rays of light scattered dimly in a million different directions. I could pick out every color of the spectrum in them, but it was not a welcome sight. We both held our breaths as we watched the sun begin to rise. We didn't dare to speak to each other. A time like this did not necessitate words. Instead we stared in dread as the rays of light grew brighter, scattering the facets of our skins as well. My peripheral vision caught a glimpse of her glittering skin, and I had to admit, even in this most apprehensive of moments, her beauty still made my dead heart want to beat.

Though the snow continued to fall, it didn't bother either of us. The way it piled up emphasized the metaphorical "build-up" we were experiencing in waiting for the Volturi to arrive. Finally, the sun had risen completely. The way the snow sparkled confirmed that this was the vision I had seen in Alice's mnd. Alice... Would she ever return to us? What sort of a scene would she and Jasper return _to_? Gradually, like the snow pileup, our gathering began to materialize. Our vampire allies, the wolf packs, my family – all of us standing in formation like an unintentional army rather than a group of witnesses.

I let Bella go as she went to fetch Renesmee from the tent and take care of some last-minute things. I knew that in the past month she had been up to something, but if it were something I should have known, she would have told me already. So I thought about it as little as possible, hoping that through me, Aro wouldn't notice or question Bella's suspicious activity, as much as it worried me not knowing what she was up to and whether it was dangerous for her or not. I prayed it was nothing dangerous...

Bella returned carrying Renesmee and wearing the necklace Aro had sent to her as a wedding gift. Renesmee was wearing one of Alice's many purses... I felt my eyebrow go up slightly from my confusion. I wondered for a fraction of a second the reasons behind these things, but said nothing. I opened my arms instead: not as a question, but as a shelter, as if I could use these arms to protect my family from all the cruelties of this world. I held my wife and daughter tightly, as if that were my intention.

All my memories of the both of them flashed through my mind at this moment. Everything from my first conversation with the unreadable human Bella to our new life in the cottage with our fast-growing daughter. Some little details stood out to me: the scent of the flowers in the air at our wedding, the exact color of blush she always used to have in her pale cheeks, the scent of the humans' blood during our first hunt together, the chipped paint on her silly Chevrolet pickup truck... I couldn't grasp everything as a whole, though. There was just too much to look back on fondly.

With a sigh, I let down my arms knowing how little control I ultimately had over this situation. I looked into Bella's eyes for a moment and tried to convey a sense of confidence to her. If it came down to a fight, she should have lots of faith in her increasingly impressive shield, I thought. I hoped, and almost believed for sure, that the Volturi would hear us out. I stayed at the front of our group and Bella moved behind us where she and Renesmee seemed relatively protected.

The scene before us all looked more and more familiar as the minutes dragged on. This was, without a doubt, the exact image that Alice had foreseen. It could not be too much longer before the Volturi finally showed themselves. From the corner of my eye, Jacob stepped out from the woods to stand by Renesmee. This brought me a little comfort; it would have been more if everyone here weren't already in love with her as well and willing to fight for her safety. Almost involuntarily, I stretched my arm out behind me. Bella's hand found mine and I gripped it in anticipation, trying to make this moment more bearable for the both of us. I had to admit I was fearful, and did everything I could to hide this.

Seconds later, I could hear them approach. Their thoughts were muddled; I could not separate them enough to pick out what it was they wished to accomplish during this trip, though it wasn't very hard to guess. I hissed to warn the others, and they all stared ahead as I did, waiting for the Volturi to show themselves. The sounds of all their thoughts combined sounded like a swarm of wasps. Crowded. A hint of menace.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, they emerged from the forests. It was like a bleak parade of a funeral procession. I tried to concentrate for any signs of menace in their thoughts. As of now, it was a collective blank slate. Neutral. A forced effort, hopefully one that could not last for long. Strangely, I could still hear the strange buzzing noise. When they were close enough they straightened their formation – a movement that looked rehearsed to perfection. I could immediately see that we were outnumbered. I showed no sign of the utter sense of defeat that had shot through me.

The droning noise began to grow louder, and as it did I could pick out voices and words. There were more vampires coming. A lot more. Hearing their thoughts was like being in the middle of a packed auditorium. Collectively, their thoughts were angry. I picked out the words "immortal child" from every mind I briefly focused on. I should have expected something like this. The vampire mob gradually began to leak out from the cracks in between the trees. The shock upon seeing the large gathering we had on our side was nothing compared to the rage they felt at our supposed misdeed.

I tried with more effort to zone in on the blackest figures in the line of Volturi: Aro, Caius, Marcus. Marcus' thoughts remained unreadable, but I could hear whispers of Aro's and Caius'. Rage and fear rushed through me all at once. They were looking us over as if we were a display, trying to pick out the best specimens, the ones they would "keep", me being on that list. As they rooted out the ones of value, they deemed others "worthless" and wondered how long it would take for them to be eliminated. Most of our group fell under this category. I began to listen to the many strategies they already had in place, storing them all in my head just in case. Moreover, they did not care if Irina's accusation was correct or not. They had their own goals set in making this trip. When they did take notice of Renesmee, it did no good in slowing them down.

I snarled, almost seething, and turned to Carlisle. "Alistair was right."

Tanya responded to my statement instead. "Alistair was right?"

I burned on the inside as I explained. "They – Caius and Aro – come to destroy and aquire. They have many layers of strategy already in place. If Irina's accusation had somehow proven false, they were committed to find another reason to take offense. But they can see Renesmee now, so they are perfectly sanguine about their course. We could still attempt to defend against their other contrived charges, but first they have to stop, to hear the truth about Renesmee." I brought my voice down a decibel. "Which they have no intention of doing."

Unexpectedly, their minds changed from determination to shock within a second. They froze, still in perfect order, as the earthy smell of wolf blew towards me from both sides. It satisfied me a little; at least we'd caused them to hesitate for a moment with our unexpected alliance. It did not do enough to douse my rage. As Aro and Caius continued to fantasize about the new additions they would have to their team, I felt more and more impatient, more angry. But I couldn't break my facade. Bella let out a sudden snarl from behind me, echoing what I felt on the inside. I squeezed her hand: a warning.

The three ancients held hands, holding a silent conversation. The expressions on Aro's and Caius' face betrayed their thoughts. Marcus did not seem as enthusiastic as the other two. They all were disappointed to find Alice missing, and they had a newfound interest in Bella and deliberated the potential value of her powers. Our numbers had surprised them more than I had imagined they would. My panic heightened as I listened to their conversation: deciding who to strike at first, scanning the faces in our crowd, searching for weaknesses. I had not realized how fast my breath had become until I heard my father speak to me.

"Edward?"

"They're not sure how to proceed," I reported to Carlisle. "They're weighing options, choosing key targets – me, of course, you, Eleazar, Tanya. Marcus is reading the strength of our ties to each other, looking for weak points. The Romanians' presence irritates them. They're worried about the faces they don't recognize – Zafrina and Senna in particular – and the wolves, naturally. They've never been outnumbered before. That's what stopped them."

"Outnumbered?" Tanya again.

"They don't count their witnesses," I explained. "They are nonentities, meaningless to the guard. Aro just enjoys an audience."

"Should I speak?" My father asked me.

I paused to read them for any sign of attack, but for now they were simply thinking, plotting. "This is the only chance you'll get." The fight would not begin for a few moments. He had time. I watched as Carlisle stepped forward, focusing all of my attention on Aro and Caius. If anything besides the strategy they had were to happen, it would go through their minds first.

My father had his arms wide open. For a moment, he seemed like a martyr. "Aro, my old friend. It's been centuries."

I strained as I analyzed Aro's reaction. Amusement, suspicion. An overall condescending attitude. It didn't seem good. He debated for a second whether or not to take his greeting as a trick, a diversion. He thought our intentions were just as bad as theirs were: ours being a revolt against the Volturi. But he knew Carlisle well enough to know he wouldn't confront him so sneakily. So he decided to humor him instead by responding. He too stepped out of formation, the shield, Renata, close behind just in case. The guard behind him grumbled in complaint. They seemed to think it was some kind of deception.

"Peace," Aro ordered, commanding silence with this single word. He walked forward until he was a few feet away from my father. "Fair words, Carlisle. They seem out of place, considering the army you've assembled to kill me, and to kill my dear ones." Aro seemed to earnestly believe he was in the right in saying this. I heard the minds of the Volturi murmur in general agreement, all of them looking down on Carlisle. I gritted my teeth and continued to listen.

Carlisle lifted his right arm toward Aro. An offer. "You have but to touch my hand to know that was never my intent."

Aro's eyes narrowed as he imagined that Carlisle must be trying to avoid the issue. "But you can your intent possibly matter, dear Carlisle, in the face of what you have done?" He was genuinely disappointed in my father. I heard him hope, no, resolve, that Carlisle would be spared in the oncoming battle. He could be useful...

"I have not committed the crime you are here to punish me for," he responded, remaining admirably calm.

"Then step aside and let us punish those responsible. Truly, Carlisle, nothing would please me more than to preserve your life today."

Again, Carlisle raised his hand outward. "No one has broken the law, Aro. Let me explain."

At that moment, Caius rushed to Aro's side. His thoughts were frustrated, impatient. It was no secret that the main reason he had come was to split up our coven, hoard in talent. He saw Carlisle's gesture as an effective attempt to stall him. _Leave it to Aro to led petty friendships get in the way._ "So many pointless rules, so many unnecessary laws you create for yourself, Carlisle. How is it possible that you defend the breaking of one that truly matters?" _Such a hypocrite..._ Caius' thoughts were shamelessly loud as time wore on.

"The law is not broken. If you would listen – ." Now Carlisle was getting frustrated as well. However he retained the same composure.

"We can see the child, Carlisle," Caius snapped irritably. "Do not treat us as fools."

"She is _not_ an immortal. She is a vampire. I can easily prove this with just a few moments –"

"If she is not one of the forbidden, then why have you massed a battalion to protect her?"

"Witnesses, Caius, just as you have brought." A few members of the mob growled as Carlisle pointed to them. They felt threatened. "Any one of these friends can tell you the truth about the child. Or you could just look at her, Caius. See the flush of human blood in her cheeks."

"Artifice!" _Does he really dare to try outwitting us?_ "Where is the informer? Let her come forward!" He quickly spotted Irina in their group. "You! Come!"

_Human blood! I did not see that before... What can I tell them...? What will my punishment be...?_ Irina seemed frozen as she realized in horror the error she had made. Caius snapped and one of the guard prodded her as if she were cattle ready for slaughter. She stepped forward slightly, slowly, eying her sisters. _Tanya? Kate?_ Caius glided over to her and slapped her across the face, bringing her out of her daze. I could hear her sisters cursing him in their minds.

He pointed to my daughter and asked sternly, "This is the child you saw? The one that was obviously more human?"

Irina studied Renesmee. _IS she? Somehow she looks different... older... But how could that be?_

"Well?"

"I..." Irina was hesitant, confused. "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?" His voice was a whisper. This was not what he wanted to happen.

"She's not the same, but I think it's the same child. What I mean is, she's changed. This child is bigger than the one I saw, but –"

With Caius' answering furious gasp, Aro saw that their peaceful facade had begun to crack. He rushed to his side to attempt to calm him.

"Be composed, brother. We have time to sort this out. No need to be hasty." Aro took Caius' place in interrogating Irina. _It never does any good to be so rash, so transparent... We'll make more progress doing this my way._

"Now, sweetling, show me what you're trying to say." He held his hand out. _Like trapping a fly in honey._ He held her hand for a few seconds, and I could see her memory echo in both of them. What she remembered was a figure that looked like Renesmee, but smaller, with cold, hard skin and red eyes. An immortal child. "You see, Caius? It's a simple matter to get what we need." He addressed Carlisle now. "And so we have a mystery on our hands, it seems. It would appear the child has grown. Yet Irina's first memory was clearly that of an immortal child. Curious."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to explain," my father responded. _Finally, they're starting to realize she's different from the immortal children!_ But his relief was misplaced. Aro was searching for a loophole, another thing to accuse us of. He readjusted his strategy, trying to decide what to do with Irina, who had unknowingly lied to the Volturi. That in itself was an offense. Although Carlisle offered his hand to Aro, he again refused.

"I would rather have the explanation from someone more central to the story, my friend. Am I wrong to assume that this breach was not of your making?"

"There was no breach." _What exactly is he trying to say?_

"Be that as it may, I _will_ have every facet of the truth." Suddenly I was in his thoughts. "And the best way to get that is to have the evidence directly from your talented son. As the child clings to his newborn mate, I'm assuming Edward is involved." _I'll make it easier... get everyone's side of the story all at the same time. There must be something they're not telling us, something we can use._

Fearfully, I turned and kissed my wife and daughter on the forehead. I could not look into their eyes; I might lose my nerve. If I did give something away, it would be my fault regardless of how much I wanted to protect my family. On the way to Aro, I touched my father's shoulder in a subtle and tender gesture. When I made eye contact with Jane, smiling sickeningly, it multiplied my apprehension hundredfold. I masked all of this perfectly under false dignity. I kept my chin high, as I imagined an aristocrat might, and held out my hand dutifully.

_He looks so smug! _I could hear Aro exclaim gleefully to himself. His guard felt nothing but stress with my being so close to their leader. They mentally prepared to attack at first notice. I would not have a chance to hear when they would make a move until they actually did, but that was a risk I took nonetheless.

He walked up to me and took my hand, and I saw the deluge of memories from the past month flood through my mind into his. All the strategies we had planned were no longer secret. Any upper hand we imagined we might have, Aro knew about them too now. Even though he could see we hadn't gathered these vampires to fight, he saw that they were willing to if that's what it came down to. Had I condemned them?

At the same time, he could also see how Renesmee came to be. He could see Bella's rapid pregnancy, how the baby had been delivered, and could feel the warmth of her flesh as I remembered it. I prayed this would be enough.

My head became heavy with the weight of all the information. As Aro read back my memories, he responded with brief statements. _Fascinating... Unbelievable... Curious... _I could tell he had taken a new kind of interest in Renesmee. He knew about her talent now. He had seen all the things she'd shown me, and wanted to know more about how it worked. _Do you have any idea what she could be capable of as she ages? I didn't think so..._I had to admit we were both a little worried about her getting older, but for different reasons. It did not diminish his awe over the one-of-a-kind child. After what seemed like ages, Aro broke off our exchange, still gripping my hand to read my present thoughts. His thoughts were a little less confused and more understanding. I relaxed a bit.

"You see?" My voice still sounded calm, dignified. Good.

"Yes, I see, indeed. I doubt whether any to among gods or mortals have ever seen quite so clearly." _A human and vampire... who would have thought! I've never seen a thing like it – should I let this opportunity go or is there more? _"You've given me much to ponder, young friend. Much more than I expected." _I can see her from there... She looks so strange, so lovely. I wonder if they'll let me get a closer look. _"May I meet her? I never dreamed of the existence of such a thing in all my centuries. What an addition to our histories!"

Before I could decide, Caius jumped into the conversation. "What is this about, Aro?" I felt a twinge of worry for Renesmee then, and I briefly reconsidered allowing her too close to the Volturi leaders.

"Something you've never dreamed of, my practical friend. Take a moment to ponder, for the justice we intended to deliver no longer applies." _So we must find another way for us to get what we want. Why must you make it so difficult for us? _Caius, who could not hear his thoughts, hissed at Aro, thinking he was backing out. I, however, tensed up. So all my memories had not discouraged them. They were definitely not here simply to carry out the law. "Peace, brother," Aro said patiently. To me, he asked again, "Will you introduce me to your daughter?" The entire guard became ferocious when he said _daughter_. Unlike Aro, they could not believe such a thing.

Could I even refuse? With luck, Renesmee would charm him just as she had nearly everyone else who had ever met her. _If you do, you have to come closer to our side, away from your guard. I don't want to frighten her. Will you be willing to compromise on this? _I couldn't imagine her so close to them, especially where Jane could glare at her maliciously with the same intensity she stared _me_ down with.

He answered me out loud. "I think a compromise on this one point is certainly acceptable, under the circumstance. We will meet in the middle." With his, he released my hand, and I felt a little less vulnerable now that my thoughts would be kept to myself. This feeling was short-lived, however, as his arm circled around me as if we were 'buddies', even though the purpose was to keep in contact with my skin and my mind. We started to cross the field, when I heard the guard cautiously begin to follow.

Aro, true to his word, raised his hand to halt them. "Hold, my dear ones. Truly, they mean us no harm if we are peaceable." This was answered openly with protest; I did not need to read their thoughts to know much much they hated this idea. I could hear them plotting on their own in case they saw any foul play. I didn't want to take that chance at someone misreading an action.

As much as it went against my instincts, I offered a suggestion. "Perhaps you should bring a few members of your guard with us. It will make them feel more comfortable." That seemed to calm them enough.

_Of course, I should have thought about that myself. _Aro snapped his fingers. "Felix, Demetri." His two best fighters were immediately at his side, each more like weapons for Aro's use than vampires with minds of their own. If necessary, I could take out Demetri, the tracker, the bigger danger of the two, in half a second if I needed to. We stopped at the midpoint of the field and I found Bella in the crowd.

"Bella, bring Renesmee... and a few friends." I hoped she knew what I was implying with my request. As of now, I did not detect any foul play with Aro. He was still stumped as to how he could find another way to incriminate us. She requested Emmett and Jacob; I momentarily frowned at my brother's inappropriate enthusiasm.

"Interesting company you keep," Demetri muttered to me, referring to Jacob's unexpected presence. I had no response for him. As soon as Bella and the others met us in the field, I slipped out of Aro's arm and took my place in their ranks, grasping her hand protectively. I could hear Felix's thoughts as he made small talk with Bella. _What a pity we're going to have to get rid of this one... just when she's finally found her niche._ He found this amusing and almost funny, with just a hint of regret. I tried to ignore this and focused again on Aro, who was listening for Renesmee's heartbeat, signs of her partial humanity.

"I hear her strange heart. I smell her strange scent." He raised his eyes to my wife. There was still no menace in his thoughts... yet. "In truth, young Bella, immortality does become you, most extraordinarily. It is as if you were designed for this life." He took notice of the enormous bauble dangling from her neck. "You liked my gift?"

Her hand flew to the pendant, fingers gripping the edges of its facets. She felt self-conscious with him eying her like that. "It's beautiful, and very, very generous of you. Thank you. I probably should have left a note."

His answering laugh made me shudder internally. "It's just a little something I had lying around. I thought it might complement your new face, and so it does." He was being earnest.

I heard Jane hiss as she learned of his lavish gesture. _Why waste such a treasure on her? It'll be lying in the dust any moment now!_

"May I greet your daughter, lovely Bella?" Under my careful eye, Renesmee was revealed to Aro, who couldn't help but smile at her radiance. "But she's exquisite... So like you and Edward." He raised his voice slightly. "Hello, Renesmee."

"Hello, Aro." Her voice was clear and perfect. It brought me pain to listen to it address our potential adversary.

The two of them continued to have an innocent enough exchange. However my perspective was tainted by Jacob's unrelenting terror. This feeling mirrored mine when I saw her tiny hand reach out to touch Aro's dusty face. I watched the exchange, Renesmee pleading to not hurt her family, the werewolves, or our vampire guests. Our faces flashed before our eyes, the mood behind them purely love.

"Brilliant," Aro whispered.

"Please?" Renesmee ended her plea out loud.

"Of course I have no desire to harm your loved ones, precious Renesmee." His tone betrayed his motives. _At least, I won't harm them JUST yet... And I'm not so certain I can leave you be either, my dear._ My teeth ground together in an effort to hide my disgust. How could he blatantly lie to the poor child, especially when I was standing right here! "I wonder..." he continued, _if the Volturi could also use some pet guard dogs... _He eyed the wolf pack, deep in speculation.

"It doesn't work that way," I snapped. My composed manner was gone. I was too furious.

"Just an errant thought." But he continued to think about the possibilities. He had seen through Renesmee the unusual bond we shared with the wolves, especially Jacob. _I wonder who the owner is, who managed to train them to go along with this. Maybe Carlisle managed to –_

"They don't _belong_ to us, Aro," I corrected harshly. "They don't follow our commands that way. They're here because they want to be."

"They seem quite attached to you, though. And your young mate and your... family. _Loyal._" The way he said that word made me uneasy. He was trying too hard to not sound threatening.

"They're committed to protecting human life, Aro. That makes them able to coexist with us, but hardly with you. Unless you're rethinking your lifestyle."

He laughed. _Be a 'vegetarian'? He's too funny. _"Just an errant thought. You well know how that is. We none of us can entirely control our subconscious desires."

"I do know how that is," I responded, seeing through his excuse. "And I also know the difference between that kind of thought and the kind with a purpose behind it. It could never work, Aro." If he had the chance, he would try to enslave some of the wolves while he was here, to test the validity of my assessment. He figured it would only take a little 'persuasion' from the Volturi talents to train them well.

Jacob whined nervously.

"He's intrigued with the idea of... guard dogs," I explained quietly, unsurprised when the entire wolf population broke out in rage.

When Sam had silenced them, Aro laughed once again. "I suppose that answers that question. _This_ lot has picked its side." _Still couldn't hurt to try... I'm quite bored with the talk. I suppose we'll make a move now. The guard is getting quite impatient. I'll go now to tell them to put the strategy into motion. Hopefully the fight won't be TOO long... I don't want to lose track of the child._

At hearing this I completely lost my composure. I crouched and hissed at Aro, daring him to try anything against our group. I was answered by Felix and Demetri. At that point, I realized I could not afford to be so carelessly hostile. We needed to plan around them and act smartly if any of us were going to survive. I stood up straight again, as much as it went against my instinct to defend.

"So much to discuss. So much to decide. If you and your furry protector will excuse me, my dear Cullens, I must confer with my brothers."

I saw the lie behind that, as well. But Aro had long since stopped trying to disguise his thoughts. He knew that even if I did see the truth, I was powerless to do anything about it.

*****

Author's Note: Okay, Edward's perspective is really hard to write from! Mostly because it's a different style (Whereas Jacob's parts will be written in my usual style). Basically I tried writing... like Stephanie Meyer (Oh no!) without all the purple prose and unnecessary parts. A majority is a repetition of some of the final scenes of Breaking Dawn but I hope I added a little more insight. It's only a little more time until the action starts!


	3. My Life Has Become A Bad Horror Film

Morning Star: #3 – My Life Has Officially Become a Bad Horror Film

By: Kimberly A. Iwanski/Harley Harlequinade (.com)

A Twilight Fanfiction

Author's Note: Thank you guys sooooo much! For the positive reviews, watches, and favorites! I wasn't sure what it would be like to return to but you guys have been so welcoming, and so quick to it too! Thank you for encouraging me to continue writing, and I sincerely hope you will continue to read and enjoy my story.

*****

JACOB

My fear was so thick it was choking me. As the guard approached their leader, Aro, I backed away reluctantly. They were like a single huge, dark organism, or a storm cloud. Something you had to escape from. Instinctively, I bared my fangs at the powdery-looking bloodsucker in front of me. I saw the way he stared at Renesmee, and I couldn't stand it. He wanted to take her, I just knew it. I turned and left them be when she grabbed the end of my tail and pulled. It was the only thing that would have stopped me from ripping the monster to shreds before it was too late.

As Aro and Caius deliberated, I scanned the rest of the field and noticed a big change about the mob. They weren't angry anymore, just confused. Suddenly they weren't so bent on destruction anymore. That meant less of a fight from their side. Of course, that also could mean they might meet the Volturi's wrath for not acting according to their plans. Oh well. All of them could be broken and burned and I wouldn't care less. My only concerns were Renesmee and the pack. Maybe some of the Cullens, but that was pushing it. As long as Nessie remained safe, I would consider it a victory.

While I had only been listening to their conversation in the back of my head, my ears pricked and I gave it all of my attention when I heard the more sinister-looking one, Caius, speak with a new venom in his voice: "Will you defend that alliance, too, Aro? The Children of the Moon have been our bitter enemies from the dawn of time. We have hunted them to near extinction in Europe and Asia. Yet Carlisle encourages a familiar relationship with this enormous infestation – no doubt in an attempt to overthrow us. The better to protect his warped lifestyle."

Before I could snarl at his blatant disrespect, Edward spoke up. "Caius, it's the middle of the day. These are not Children of the Moon, clearly. They bear no relation to your enemies on the other side of the world."

"You breed mutants here." God, I wanted him dead. Not undead, the six-feet-under kind of death.

"They aren't even werewolves. Aro can tell you all about it of you don't believe me."

What? Was he lying to protect our backs? I looked at Bella curiously but she seemed as stumped as I was. I shrugged; I would just keep listening and go along with whatever he was saying.

"Dear Caius, I would have warned you not to press this point if you had told me in your thoughts. Though the creatures think of themselves as werewolves, they are not. The more accurate name for them would be shape-shifters. The choice of a wolf form was purely chance. It could have been a bear or a hawk or a panther when the first change was made. These creatures truly have nothing to do with the Children of the Moon. They have merely inherited this skill from their fathers. It's genetic – they do not continue their species by infecting others the way werewolves do."

Wow, this was news to me. So the evil vamp knew more about my own species than I did, which was pretty annoying and unsettling on top of that. What's more, he defended us. There had to be some kind of reason for that; he obviously had nothing to gain in defending the Cullens for being friendly with us, werewolf or not.

"They know our secret," Caius continued.

"They are creatures of the supernatural world, brother. Perhaps even more dependent upon secrecy than we are; they can hardly expose us. Carefully, Caius. Specious allegations get us nowhere." I didn't like the way Aro's last statement came out. He wasn't simply saying 'Stop assuming', it was more like 'Let's try something that _will_ get us somewhere.' It was times like this I would want to be able to read minds. They seemed to have too many ulterior motives.

"I want to talk to the informant," Caius said, completely switching directions. His eyes fell on the pretty vampire who had betrayed her family... who had tried to turn in Renesmee. "Irina." He snapped and she stepped before him. "So you appear to have been quite mistaken in your allegations."

"I'm sorry." Her voice was barely audible. "I should have made sure of what I was seeing. But I had no idea..."

"Dear Caius, could you expect her to have guessed in an instant something so strange and impossible? Any of us would have made the same assumption." I wished that Volturi would stop talking in that sweet fake-sounding voice. Better yet, I wish he'd stop talking.

"We all know you made a mistake," Caius continued. "I meant to speak of your motivations." There it was again; that hope in his voice that there might be something else to hold against us.

"My motivations?" The poor thing was nervous.

"Yes, for coming to spy on them in the first place. You were unhappy with the Cullens, were you not?"

"I was..."

"Because...?"

"Because the werewolves killed my friend. And the Cullens wouldn't stand aside to let me avenge him." M_aybe because he tried killing a __**human**__?I thought you vegetarian vampires were supposed to be sympathetic towards people!_

"The shape-shifters." I heard Aro correct unnecessarily.

"So the Cullens sided with the _shape-shifters _against our own kind – against the friend of a friend, even," Caius said in a calculated response that couldn't have taken more than seconds to form.

"That's how I saw it," Irina responded fearfully.

"If you'd like to make a formal complaint against the shape-shifters – and the Cullens for supporting their actions – now would be the time."

Interesting. Would she go for it? Could she sink any lower in my eyes?

"No, I have no complaint against the wolves, or the Cullens. You came here today to destroy an immortal child. No immortal child exists. This was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for it. But the Cullens are innocent, and you have no reason to still be here. I'm so sorry." She was speaking to everyone know. I listened in disbelief. "There was no crime. There's no valid reason for you to continue here."

I thought that would be the end of it, but one small jerk of the hand from Caius proved the thought wrong before I had even finished it. The bloodsucker witness was suddenly swarmed by billowing gray folds of cloth, moving with the fluidity of liquid. The accompanying noise was a screech of metal-on-metal – it rang into my ears and rattled my brain with its high frequency. I squinted my eyes against the pain but couldn't tear my eyes from the gray mass. A black thing, Caius, slithered under the quivering cloaks and suddenly flames burst out from the center. The Volturi removed themselves from the area back into their ranks, and all that remained was a heap of unrecognizable chunks set ablaze and crumbling into ash. The smell was unbearable – think the sickeningly sweet smell of burning hair and intensify it until it goes way beyond your limits. I held my breath.

"_Now_ she has taken full responsibility for her actions." In his smile was every opinion I'd had of vampires before I'd actually gotten to know the Cullens. Evil, ruthless, damnable creature... a monster in every way. This was the type of leech that needed to be destroyed.

Out of nowhere, Edward cried out, "Stop them!" and urgently grabbed one of the other vampires – Tanya, I think, as she let out a scream that nearly shattered my eardrums. Oh, right. Her and the electro-shock vampire were 'sisters' with Irina. Edward and Carlisle restrained Tanya. "It's too late to help her. Don't give him what he wants!" Edward tried to reason. The only one who was finally able to end the confusion was the creepy Amazon Zafrina, who blinded the both of them. Carlisle and the rugged-looking nomad soothed them both into submission. We had been _this_ close to starting a massacre. Now all eyes were on Caius, who seemed the villain to everyone. The witnesses they had collected to fight against us seemed as skeptical of the Volturi's intentions as we were. They should have been fearful instead – if it was in them to kill one innocent of their kind, they could do it again, as many times as they needed to.

"Irina has been punished for bearing false witness against this child," Aro explained. A shoddy excuse. An emergency, band-aid cover-up. "Perhaps we should return to the matter at hand?" Him and three of his lackeys floated towards us. The fur stood up on the back of my neck. "Just to be thorough, I'd like to speak with a few of your witnesses. Procedure, you know."

_No, that's not what he's really up to._ My instinct told me to run away. The teeny, warm hand on my tail was what made me stay.

Aro proceeded to question that dull Egyptian one, Amun. It was pretty standard, just making him repeat what we had already proven to him. Actually, it seemed pretty pointless. Then, his final question came.

"And do you believe that she should be allowed to live?" I joined the roar of protest on our side. What kind of a scumbag question was that anyway? If his response even hinted at a 'no', he would suffer a fate worse than Irina's. He knew this, and I would be the one to make sure it would happen.

"I did not come to make judgements." That was wise – a neutral stance.

Aro laughed his mocking laugh. "Just your opinion," he pressed.

"I see no danger in the child. She learns even more swiftly than she grows." I could tell he hated to admit that. He had never been a big fan of Nessie, but even he knew better than to condemn her. "Aro?"

"Yes, friend?"

"I gave my witness. I have no more business here. My mate and I would like to take our leave now."

Aro smiled. Ew. "Of course. I'm so glad we were able to chat for a bit. And I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

He and his mate fled into the forest. I didn't see it as a loss. Even if they did stay around, they would not have fought. This was not a priority for Amun, and it wasn't like his mate had a mind of her own. I noticed, with relief, that Benjamin had not so much as glanced at his sire as he left.

Aro then moved on to the tall leader of the Irish coven, who again assured him that Renesmee posed no danger, no single threat.

"Can you think of none?" Aro asked as if he already knew the answer.

"I don't think I follow you."

And Aro sunk back toward his guard, as if he was going to need the protection for what was coming next. "There is no broken law." It was building up like a tidal wave. The bloodsucker must have been _so_ proud of his quick thinking. "No broken law. However, does it follow then that there is no danger? No. That is a separate issue." He continued to idly drift toward his army. "She is unique... utterly, impossibly unique. Such a waste it would be, to destroy something so lovely. Especially when we could learn so much..." He paused to sigh – he should get an award for his acting. "But there_ is_ danger, danger that cannot simply be ignored..."

He continued on with his speech, but I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want his false reasons, his excuses. The important, and most awful, thing was that I'd heard the verdict and it was not in our favor. He wanted Renesmee destroyed, for their 'safety'. The lengthy speech was just to buy time. But for what? To alter their strategy, move all the pieces into place? I couldn't believe it, all this trouble for one baby girl.

"Only the known is safe. Only the known is tolerable. The unknown is... a vulnerability," he finished. I would rather him just say outright they wanted to kill her for their own reasons. The charade just made them seem even more repulsive.

"You're reaching, Aro." Carlisle had pessimism in his voice.

"Peace, friend. Let us not be hasty. Let us look at this from every side."

"May I offer a side to be considered?" The rugged-looking one, Garret if I remembered right, stepped forward.

"Nomad," Aro permitted.

Suddenly, the vampire became an orator, a public speaker. His voice filled the meadow, ripe with the weight of his integrity and convictions. "I came here at Carlisle's request, as the others, to witness," he began, "That is certainly no longer necessary, with regard to the child. We all see what she is."

He spoke for even longer than Aro had. He must have been a lawyer or politician in his past life – his points were organized and clear. He naturally had a persuasive tone. He put down the Volturi and they took it in silence, as did the witnesses. He said aloud what we all had been thinking, about how they were here for reasons other than simple justice. Garrett was exposing them, and trying to make the neutral-party witnesses rise up against them and their power abuse. He especially appealed to the nomads, who normally felt they didn't have to answer to anyone and were now pressed by the Volturi's authority.

"You might consider joining us," he said conclusively, "If you think the Volturi will let you live to tell _this_ tale, you are mistaken. We may all be destroyed, but then again, maybe not. Perhaps we are on more equal footing than they know. Perhaps the Volturi have finally met their match. I promise you this, though – if we fall, so do you."

His final words resonated so well I expected applause. Of course, it never came.

"A very pretty speech, my revolutionary friend," Aro responded, slightly amused.

"Revolutionary? Who am I revolting against, might I ask? Are you my king? Do you wish me to call you _master,_ too, like your sycophantic guard?" He was crouching next to the electric vampire in what might have been a protective stance.

"Peace, Garrett. I meant only to refer to your time of birth. Still a patriot, I see." That explained it. Just replace 'Volturi' with 'king', rework his speech a little, and you'd have something potent enough to rile up the American troops just before a battle against the Redcoats.

Aro addressed the witnesses then, asking if they'd rather leave the child or fight against the Volturi for it. Two of them, a small woman and a blond man, wished nothing more than to bear witness. Aro allowed them to leave, and they vanished into the trees. A few others followed, but a great majority of them remained, refusing the head-start. I sort of felt bad for the ones that left early; if the tracker lived, they would be destroyed anyway.

"We are outnumbered, dearest ones," Aro decided, measuring up our force against his. "We can expect no outside help. Should we leave this question undecided to save ourselves?"

"No, master," was the unified response.

"Is the protection of our world worth perhaps the loss of some of our number?"

"Yes. We are not afraid."

"Brothers," Aro said to the other black cloaks, "there is much to consider here."

"Let us counsel."

"Let us counsel."

They crowded together in triangular formation, as if they were athletes forming a game plan. A couple more vampires ran away while this was happening. Out of the corner of my eye, I peeked at Nessie, tucked in Bella's arms.

"You remember what I told you?" Bella asked.

Renesmee nodded, tears threatening to spill over. Wait, what was happening? "I love you," her voice rang softly.

"I love you, too. More than my own life." She kissed her daughter on the forehead. I whined. There had to be a reason for the intensity of this moment. She stood on tiptoe until her lips were next to my ear. "Wait until they're totally distracted, then run with her. Get as far away from this place as you possibly can. When you've gone as far as you can on foot, she has what you need to get you in the air."

So this was the plan? I was supposed to run away?! What about her and Edward? The kid needed her parents! I could see her little heart breaking already... And what if I couldn't run fast enough? What if too many of the Volturi were left, and they tracked us down? Was I supposed to bring the pack too, or would they stay here and die? This was the craziest idea Bella had ever had, and I was going to be the one putting it into action. Perfect. As I pictured beautiful Renesmee nestled in Caius' or Aro's greedy, chalky arms, I felt the waterworks coming on. I was the only one who knew that the growls issuing from between my teeth now were actually sobs.

After Edward embraced her in his own 'goodbye', he raised her up and placed Renesmee on my shoulders, where she situated herself between my shoulder blades, making a comfy seat for herself. It would have been cute if he weren't on the edge of a mental breakdown. I looked at Bella, still in disbelief. _Why?_ I wanted to ask.

"You're the only one we could ever trust her with," she responded. She didn't need to be a mind-reader to know my thoughts. She knew me. "If you didn't love her so much, I could never bear this. I know you can protect her, Jacob."

_So? I care about you guys too! I love you enough to care what happens to you!_ I butted my head weakly against her shoulder. If she were still human, it probably would have knocked her over. Instead she hardly felt it.

"I know, I love you too, Jake. You'll always be my best man."

I felt a tear roll down my face. Great. Since when do wolves cry? They began to pour more steadily now, even though I was trying to stop. My tears would just cloud my vision once I had to...leave.

Then Edward, no longer a vicious bloodsucker in my eyes (as that title belonged to the Volturi now), leaned his head on my shoulder and whispered, "Goodbye, Jacob, my brother... my son." It was strange to hear that coming from him, I admit, but I was flattered at the same time. He was trusting me as much as Bella was. All around us were similar scenes of farewell. I felt the fight coming like a dog before a thunderstorm. My legs were itching to run as fast as I could; I just needed the right opening. Hopefully, the Cullens would survive and I would reunite Nessie with her parents.

"Get ready," Bella whispered, "It's starting."

"Chelsea is trying to break our bindings," Edward muttered back. "But she can't find them. She can't feel us here... Are you doing that?"

"I am _all _over this," Bella said with a smile. So her shield had been working all along. That brought a wave of relief over me. But it still didn't touch the agony I felt.

"Carlisle? Are you alright?" Edward asked suddenly.

"Yes. Why?"

"Jane." The little evil one must have been trying to attack us. And Bella managed to hold it back. Obviously now wouldn't be the right time to run, not while we were being bombarded by the power that everyone feared and I had yet to witness for myself.

"Incredible," Edward said in awe, observing the strength of the shield.

"Why aren't they waiting for the decision?" Tanya asked, incredulous.

"Normal procedure," Edward responded. "They usually incapacitate those on trial so they can't escape."

A high-pitched shriek rang out moments later, making me jump so high I would have dropped Renesmee if she hadn't been holding on so tight. It was Jane. Apparently, she was beyond frustrated that her best efforts were proving futile. This made the Romanians chuckle in delight.

"I told you this was our time," one of the creepy Romanians said to the other. I couldn't really tell them apart.

"Just look at the witch's face," the other one agreed. As much as they freaked me out, I hoped they were solid fighters. They seemed to have enough against the Volturi to put up a good fight, at least.

Jane's brother Alec put his hand on her shoulder to stop her attacks. They must have been a tag-team because it was his turn to stare at us, and I knew that soon I would see what he was capable of, and whether or not he was a bigger threat than his sister was.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked Edward, a twinge of worry in her voice.

"Yes."

"Is Alec trying?"

He nodded. "His gift is slower than Jane's. It creeps. It will touch us in a few seconds."

I looked around for anything that might be creeping along, and saw nothing. But Bella seemed to see something, so I focused in her direction. Sure enough, a barely-visible, shimmering mist was crawling on the ground towards us, feeling around for a path. Benjamin was trying, without luck, to try to defer the fog. When blowing it away wouldn't work, he tried burying it by cracking open the earth. While this was ineffective as well, it distracted the counsel the three black cloaks were holding. It jumped over the fissure as the Volturi watched with pure interest.

_We're gonna be alright, _I began to think. _It's gonna be okay..._

The mist began to snake up, as if going up a wall. Bella's shield was holding up, after all.

"I'm going to have to concentrate," she told Edward. "When it comes to hand to hand, it's going to be harder to keep the shield around the right people."

"I'll keep them off you."

"No. You _have_ to get Demetri. Zafrina will keep them away from me."

"No one will touch this young one," the Amazon agreed.

Bella eyed the Volturi guard, looking uncharacteristically vicious. "I'd go after Jane and Alec myself, but I can do more good here."

"Jane's mine. She needs a taste of her own medicine." As Kate spoke, the electricity sparking off of her body made my fur stand up from the strength of the static.

"And Alec owes me many lives, but I will settle for his. He's mine." This came from the scary Romanian.

"I just want Caius," Tanya decided.

And our group went on picking out opponents for themselves. I couldn't stay and fight though... not with Nessie needing to be cared for. And would I tell my pack to follow? I was probably going to need them with me.

Then, I heard Bella inhale sharply. "No..."

I directed my gaze upward, to where she was staring. The mist was seeping through her shield, eating away at it like a corrosive acid. I swallowed hard – we would have to move into action a lot faster now.

"Edward! It's not holding up!" Bella shrieked, grabbing everyone's attention. They looked up in absolute horror at the fog leaking in through the invisible cracks and began shifting towards the center, where we stood.

I began to calculate a route out of the field where I could avoid the debilitating mist completely, without much luck. It had begun to spread and circle around us. I could have tried to jump _over_ it, but there would have been several risks involved with that stunt, none of which I wanted to take.

"Here's what we'll do," Edward whispered tensely, as low as he could, "On my word, we'll attack. Jacob, you wait until Vladimir takes out Alec. I assume the mist will disappear once he's eliminated. You're sure to have an opening to run away. There's enough of us here to keep the Volturi busy."

I nodded and crouched, prepared to run. My head was pounding; I was getting lightheaded. This was how I felt when I ran away the first time; it was my human brain going into hiding, making way for the wolf brain. My instincts were taking over instead. Soon my thoughts would be reduced to simple words and actions, like _danger_ and _run_ and _eat_ and _crap_. The thing is, they wouldn't be actual words, but just ideas. You get the picture. It's hard to describe exactly what it's like. You'd have to try living this way for a while to know what I mean.

When Edward finally yelled "Now!", the fog was six feet high, had a diameter of about 25 feet, and was only about two feet away from the tightly-packed crowd that we were. Too late by my judgment, but it was fine for the vampires, I suppose. Everyone but me, Bella, and Zafrina jumped out of that tight circle. Some, like most of the newer wolves, a couple of nomads, and some other strangers, got nicked by the mist – either they couldn't see it as well or they accidentally moved their foot or hand the wrong way – and fell lifelessly to the ground before us.

Vladimir lurched forward, knocking aside two members of the guard, and closed closed his teeth on Alec's throat with unbelievable speed. This kid wasn't a fighter at all. As he ripped a chunk of granite-like flesh out of his neck, the mist had begun to disappear. Those who were knocked out from it started to come around. Jane gave out a shrill yell, but before she could avenge her brother, Kate latched onto her arms and she began to grotesquely twitch and convulse and gargle. She started to rip her apart in small bits, not letting up on the intensity of her electric shock. Soon she would be finished with as well.

"Jacob, go!" Bella commanded, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She was watching Demetri engage Edward in battle. They seemed like a pretty even match, so I prayed Edward's mind reading would give him the edge he needed. "Hurry!"

I whimpered and nuzzled Bella's face for what I feared might be the last time. _Goodbye, Bella._ The fog was completely gone now, and there was no excuse for me to stick around. Without a second thought, I launched myself into the forest, Nessie clutching tightly to the roots of my fur.

The woods around me were a damp, emerald green blur. The tears I had been shedding had not completely dried, and were blocking my sight enough to be irritating. This was made worse by the fact that I was facing the sun as I ran. But I didn't dare to stop. I felt a drop of moisture fall on the middle of my back. For a moment I thought it had begun to rain, until I heard a small, squeaky sob behind me. Nessie was crying too. I dug my nails into the ground and, impossibly, picked up my speed even more. I had to do this for her. She needed to be as far away as possible.

About fifteen minutes into my run, I heard footsteps as fast as mine behind me. _The tracker!_ I thought in terror, a growl shaping itself under my breath.

_Guess again._ My reaction to hearing this voice was a bittersweet mixture of relief and anger. Leah.

_What are you doing?! Shouldn't you be helping them?_

_We couldn't let you go out on your own. They're going to come after you after this. You should know that already. 'Course it'll take them a while now that their tracker's been put out._

So Edward _had _been able to defeat Demetri. That was one weight of many now off my shoulders. _Hey... What do you mean 'we'?_

_Your pack? You can't expect us to go on without an Alpha, can you? Don't be so irresponsible. But at the rate you're going, they won't be able to catch up for a while._

I hated her guts for two reasons right now: because she was so insensitive to my predicament, and because she had a point and I hadn't thought of these things first. _Everyone's coming? Even Quil?I thought he needed to watch over Claire._

_We have to make sure the object of your... imprint is safe first. Claire isn't in danger – we arranged with Sam's pack to have some of the new kids leave the battle early to watch over the rez just in case. As long as Quil can stay in touch with Claire in some way, he's willing to help protect your Renesmee. Trust me, he's put us all through unnecessary misery trying to wonder what this is like for you._

At this point, Leah had caught up to me. She slowed her pace and we ran side by side. Even in a personal crisis, with my adrenaline pumping to its highest capacity, she was still faster than me. This annoyed me more than it should have. _Who'd Sam send to La Push?_

_Jordan... Kiowa... River... Smart kids, but they totally glorify the whole wolf thing. They wanted to stick around for the fight._

I knew those kids. They looked anywhere from ten to thirteen. Either way, they were much too young for this kind of thing, and I was glad Sam had spared them.

_So where are we going now?_

I had to think about that. We needed to get as far away as possible. It was broad daylight right now, so we would be safe somewhere with lots of people. And we still needed to look into Renesmee's bag...

_The airport. _

*****

A/N: Meyer mentioned there were seven new werewolves at the end of Breaking Dawn! However she never gave names or anything, so I just made up my own. The new wolves are Jordan, Taylor, Alex, Kiowa, Lance, River, and Rudy. Some are named after actors (including the Twilight ones!), some are people I know and for others I just like the names! To be honest though, I liked the name Kiowa before I knew about New Moon, back when I read "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. It's a war book and I recommend it! I'm really happy I got to bring Leah into the picture too.


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